LOS ANGELES -- You know the old phrase used to describe a girl, "she's good from afar, but far from good"? Twist it around and it applied to the shooting guard matchup at Staples Center on Tuesday, with the Lakers earning a 96-83 victory. The games of the Lakers' Kobe Bryant and the Hawks' Joe Johnson look the same from afar, but are far from the same.

Their bodies just beg for the comparison.

Kobe checks in at 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds. But for the bulk of his career, he was playing at 220. Joe has an inch and 30 pounds on Bryant, but he came into the league at 225.

They both have a versatile offensive game that's built on the ability to score in a multitude of ways -- from deep, off the dribble, catch-and-shoot -- while possessing the court sense and passing ability to get others involved.

Entering Tuesday's game, Bryant was averaging 27.7 points on 47.5 percent from the field, 35.0 percent from 3-point range and 86.9 from the line. Johnson was averaging 21.6 points on 43.3, 34.4 and 80.5 percent, respectively.